In the meantime, picking and preparing the familiar green spears continues throughout the Delta.

The seasonal work is particularly intense inside the Kings Crown Packing Inc. facility on Clifton Court Road south of Highway 4 on Victoria Island.

Once a major crop for the county, asparagus has been under increasing pressure from foreign imports - notably from Mexico and Peru - for more than a decade.

In 1997, there were 24,000 acres planted countywide with sales estimated at more than $69 million. By 2010, planted acreage had fallen to 6,600 acres and $27.7 million in value.

This spring added another wrinkle to the Stockton area's signature crop - unusually warm weather prompted it to emerge early from growing beds, with many farmers forced into trying to delay the crop because of low market prices.

None of that will matter much Friday, Saturday and Sunday as tens of thousands of visitors will gather in downtown Stockton for the annual festival that continues to find unique ways of using - and serving - asparagus.